Shoe form



Jan. 12, 1937. w. J. DE WlTT 2,057,331

SHOE FORM Filed March 5, 1956 Jrzvezz X07;

U M'Zle'am Jfie M'tt,

Anya

Patented Jan. 12, 1937 ST'E'ES PATET FFIQE SHOE FORM tion of New York Application March 3, 1936, Serial No. 66,831

7 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in a shoe form and more particularly in a shoe form of the type which comprises an expansible toe member by which the toe of the shoe is plumped out and a back part member which extends rearwardly from the toe member and which when the form is inserted in a shoe, bears against the heel counter and yieldably expands the toe member. Shoe forms of this type are illustrated for example in my Patents No. 1,646,016, dated Octol2)er 18, 1927 and No. 1,704,693, dated March 12, 19 9.

Heretofore it has generally been the practice to make the back part member of such length that, when theform is inserted in the shoe, the member must be hooped or bent upwardly with the hooped portion extending above the shoe upper. This was found desirable in order to set up a yieldable pressure of suificient strength to hold the toe member in the best position. The hooped portion above the shoe upper has been found to impair the desired pleasing appear ance of the formed shoe and to interfere with the packing of the shoe in a container.

The object of the present invention is to set up sufiicient yieldably exerted pressure to hold the toe member in place without hooping the back part member, such result being attained by making the back part member in two sections connected by spring means. When inserted in a shoe the length of the back part member is decreased by forcing the sections to shift relative to each other against the tension of the spring means and thus set up yieldable pressure: for holding the toe member in place in the toe of the shoe.

This and other objects of the invention will appear from a consideration of the following description and of the drawing which forms a part thereof and in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a shoe in which a shoe form embodying this invention is inserted, portions of the shoe and toe member being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment shown in Fig. l in its normal condition;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the spring means included in such embodiment;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan View similar to Fig. 2 of another embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in Fig. 4; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are views similar to Fig. 3 of other types of spring means which may be sub stituted for the type there shown.

In Fig. 1 is shown a shoe I0 having a toe II and heel counter !2 in which a shoe form 20 is inserted. The shoe form 29 comprises a toe member 2! and a back part member 30.

The toe member 2! is of the type shown in my Patent No. 1,891,900 dated December 27, 1932 and comprises a toe portion 22, having ball flanges 23, and a pair of crossbraces 24. Each crossbrace is pivoted at the forward end to a flange 23 and carries at the rearward end a rivet 25 which enters a curved slot 26 in the other flange. The toe portion 22 is of celluloid, buckram or other resilient, formable material and the sides thereof are expanded or contracted by swinging the crossbraces from the forward pivoted ends.

The back part member 30 comprises sections 31 and 32, the forward end of the section 3! comprising a loop 33, through which the section 32 passes, and the rearward end of the section 32 comprising a loop 34, through which the section 3| passes. The sections 3| and 32 are thus parallelly reciprocable. The sections 3| and 32 are connected by spring means shown in Figs. 2 and 3 as an extensible coil spring 35 secured at its ends to the loops 33 and 34. The forward end of the section 32 is suitably connected to the crossbraces 24 as by an integral loop 36. The rearward end of the section 3| terminates in a loop 81 which as will be pointed out below facilitates the manipulation of the form.

The application of pressure upon the crossbraces 24 causes them to expand the toe portion 22 and when in a shoe to bring the sides thereof into contact with the toe of the shoe. The toe member is inserted in the toe of the shoe in the usual way and the length of the back member is then contracted, by moving the sections relatively parallel to each other against the urge of the spring, until it can easily be inserted in the shoe whereupon it is allowed to take the position shown in Fig. l with the loop 31 bearing against the heel counter I2 and the walls of the toe portion expanded against the toe of the shoe. The spring 35 of course normally tends to contract and thus causes the back member to bear yieldably against the heel counter and the toe portion to bear yieldably against the toe of the shoe. When the form is to be removed the section 3| of the back member is pushed forwardly to contract the spring and allow the removal of the back member from the shoe. The back member will then resume its normal length and the toe member can be removed by the back member in the usual way.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate the employment of this invention in a shoe form of the type shown in my Patent No. 1,717,839, dated June 18, 1929 having a toe member 4! and a back member 50. The toe member ll includes a toe portion 42, having ball flanges 43 and a pair of crossbraces 4 t pivoted at the forward ends to the flanges and carrying at the rearward ends rivets 45 which ride in curved slots 66 in the flanges. Longitudinally extending slots 4'! are provided intermediate the ends of the crossbraces. The back member 553 is similar to the back member 36 including sections 5| and 52, loops 53 and 54, a spring 55 and a loop 51 at the rearward end of section 5!. The forward end of section 52 is bent back on itself and then upwardly to form a loop 56 which passes through the slots s1 and about the forward edges of the crossbraces. The manipulation of the shoe form shown in Figs. 4 and 5 corresponds to the manipulation of the form shown in Figs 1 to 3 previously described.

Other forms of spring means might if desired be substituted for the coil springs 35 or 55. The spring plate of Fig. 6 has a plurality of loops 6| provided with slots 62 through which back member sections 63 and 64 may reciprocate freely and the ends thereof are secured to the ends 65 and 66 of the sections in any suitable manner. In place of the springs may be employed a tube 76 of rubber or similar material as shown in Fig. 7. The tube is suitably positioned about the back member sections H and 12 as by the provision of sleeves l3 and 14 each sleeve surrounding one section and bearing upon and preferably fixed to the loop 15 formed at the end of the other section.

While certain embodiments of this invention have been shown and described it will be understood that I am not limited thereto and that other embodiments thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A shoe form comprising a toe member and a back member, said toe member being insertable in the toe of the shoe and said back member serving to hold the toe member in position, said back member comprising two sections relatively movable parallel to each other, the forward end of one section being joined to the toe member and the rearward end of the other section bearing upon the heel counter of the shoe, and yielding means connecting the other ends of the sections whereby the back member exerts yielding pressure against the toe member and the heel counter.

2. A shoe form comprising a toe member and a back member, said toe member being insertable in the toe of the shoe and said back member serving to hold the toe member in position, said back member comprising two sections relatively movable parallel to each other, the forward end of one section being joined to the toe member and the rearward end of the other section bearing upon the heel counter of the shoe, and yielding means connecting the other ends of the sections, said yielding means enclosing portions of both sections and holding the sections in substantial parallelism at all times whereby the back member exerts yielding pressure against the toe member and the heel counter.

3. A shoe form comprising a toe member and a back member, said toe member being insertable in the toe of a shoe and said back member being joined at one end to said toe member and bearing at the other end against the heel counter of the shoe and holding the toe member in position, said toe member including. a pair of crossbraces by which the walls of the toe member are expanded or contracted and said back member comprising two sections reciprocably movable parallel to each other to contract or restore the normal length of the back member, the-forward section being connected at its for ward end to both crossbraces of the toe member and terminating at its rearward end in a loop through which the other section is freely movable, and the rearward section terminating at its forward end in a loop through which the forward section is freely movable and adapted to bear at its rearward end against the heel counter of a shoe, and spring means connected to said loops for yieldably resisting the contracting of the length of the back member.

4. A shoe form comprising a toe member and a back member, said toe member being insertable in the toe of a shoe and said back member being joined at one end to said toe member and. bearing at the other end against the heel counter of the shoe and holding the toe member in position, said toe member including a pair of crossbraces by which the walls of the toe member are expanded or contracted and said back member comprising two sections reciprocably movable parallel to each other to contract or restore the normal length of the back member, the forward section being connected at its forward end to both crossbraces of the toe member and terminating at its rearward end in a loop through which the other section is freely movable, and the rearward section terminating at its forward end in a loop through which the forward section is freely movable and adapted to bear at its rearward end against the heel counter of a shoe, and spring means surrounding both sections of the back member and connected to said. loops for yieldably resisting the contracting of the length of the back member.

5. A shoe form comprising a toe member and a back member said toe member being insertable in the toe of a shoe and said back member being joined at one end to said toe member and bearing at the other end against the heel counter of the shoe and holding the toe member in position, said back member comprising two sections reciprocably movable parallel to each other to contract or restore the normallength of the back member, the forward sections being connected at its forward end to the toe member and terminating at its rearward end in a loop through which the other section is freely movable and the rearward section terminating at its forward end in a loop through which the forward section is freely movable and adapted to bear at its rearward end against the heel counter of a shoe, and a coil spring surrounding both sections of the back member and connected at its ends to said loops for yieldably resisting the contracting of the length of the back member.

6. A shoe form comprising a toe member and a back member, said toe member being insertable in the toe of a shoe and said back member being joined at one end to said toe member and bearing at the other end against the heel counter of the shoe and holding the toe member in position, said back member comprising two sections reciprooably movable parallel to each other to contract or restore the normal length of the back member, the forward section being connected at its forward end to the toe member and terminating at its rearward end in a loop through which the other section is freely movable and the rearward section terminating at its forward end in a loop through which the forward section is freely movable and adapted. to bear at its rearward end against the heel counter of a shoe, and a rubber tube surrounding both sections of the back member and connected at its ends to said loops for yieldably resisting the contracting of the length of the back member.

'7. A shoe form comprising a toe member and a back member, said toe member being insertable in the toe of a shoe and said back member being joined at one end to said toe member and bearing at the other end against the heel counter of the shoe and holding the toe member in position, said back member comprising two sections reciprocably movable parallel to each other to contract or restore the normal length of the back member, the forward section being connected at its forward end to the toe member and terminating at its rearward end in a loop and the rearward section terminating at its forward end in a loop and adapted to bear at its rearward end against the heel counter of a shoe, and a looped spring strap having slots therein surrounding both sections of the back member and connected at its ends to said loops for yieldably resisting the contracting of the length of the back member.

WILLIAM J. DE WI'I'I'. 

